Markos Kounalakis, Mr. Ambassador

CATCHING UP WITH Markos Kounalakis

Markos Kounalakis, Democratic party operative and husband of ambassador to Hungary Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis Wednesday, May 23, 2012 in San Francisco Calif.

Markos Kounalakis, Democratic party operative and husband of ambassador to Hungary Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis Wednesday, May 23, 2012 in San Francisco Calif.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

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Markos Kounalakis, Democratic party operative and husband of ambassador to Hungary Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis Wednesday, May 23, 2012 in San Francisco Calif.

Markos Kounalakis, Democratic party operative and husband of ambassador to Hungary Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis Wednesday, May 23, 2012 in San Francisco Calif.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

Markos Kounalakis, Mr. Ambassador

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The wife of an ambassador is called Mrs. Ambassador, but there is no term for the husband. So it is slightly awkward for Markos Kounalakis, whose wife, Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis, is the U.S. ambassador to Hungary.

Since the 2010 election, Excellency, as the Hungarians call her, and Mr. Ambassador, as they call him, have lived in Budapest. Kounalakis, 55, is a native San Franciscan who found his way home in May.

Q:How is the life of an ambassador's husband?

A: One of the surprises is that I joined the Diplomatic Spouses Budapest when we got there. There were 40 women, and the only other male was the ambassador to Israel's husband. We were the first men ever. At the next meeting, all the ladies from the Arab countries refused to come.

Q: So you caused a diplomatic uproar?

A: Now there are a lot of men, but I just got an e-mail from the Diplomatic Spouses Budapest that began with the usual salutation: "Dear Ladies."

Q:Tough to adapt?

A: The region is not new to me because I was the Newsweek reporter in that region. I was there from '89 to '91, living in Prague during the revolution but covering Hungary.

Q: So how did your wife get to be ambassador to Hungary?

A: We know the president, and there is a system in the U.S. where you have political appointees. Twenty-five percent of the diplomatic corps are political appointees. She's one of the youngest ever. She just turned 46.

Q: Did this all come out of your residence in 2500 Steiner St.?

A: It didn't hurt that 2500 Steiner is in many ways the epicenter of bringing together the San Francisco political Democratic community.

Q:Describe 2500 Steiner?

A: It's the tallest building in Pacific Heights, with the best views. There are 12 floors, and each floor is a unit with 360-degree views.

Q:Describe your residence in Budapest?

A: It is a brick building built in the 1930s. I was a guest there in 1989, when I covered the first major demonstrations in Hungary in a generation. The next time I entered the residence, my wife was the ambassador, we had two kids (sons Neo and Eon) in tow, and I brought along suitcases to spend the night.

A: I am finishing up a doctorate in international relations at Central European University.

Q: What about your political magazine?

A: Washington Monthly is in great shape. I'm now publisher and president emeritus.

Q:Where did you grow up?

A: In the Mission District, on Folsom Street. I went to Lowell High School. We still speak Greek at home.

Q: What did your dad do?

A: My dad was a mechanic for Greyhound and then, on the weekends, he worked at my uncle's bar, the Zenith. Then my dad started driving cabs on weekends, and I sat in the front seat. Eventually, he got his own truck and did construction.

Q: You ever want to join him?

A: After I graduated from (UC) Berkeley, I drove construction. I still have my Class 1 license in my pocket to drive semis.

Q:Is that what you drive around Budapest?

A: Mostly I ride my motorcycle, a Ducati 750. I shipped it over.

Q: Have California plates?

A: I did. Now I have diplomatic plates, which don't save me from parking tickets, which I pay.

Q: Does your wife climb on back to ride to official functions?

A: For that she has a State Department-issued Cadillac. She has a driver, and there is a Hungarian security officer in the car and behind us is a chase car with a blue light on top and three people.